Today
by wolfs1999
Summary: Reggie gets hurt in Endless and Conelly finds her sprawled out on the school floor. After rushing Reggie to the hospital, Conelly sits with Judy as they try to comprehend today.


REGGIE'S POV

"Hey, Regina!" I stiffen at the familiar voice. Even I'm painfully aware of how awkward I look when I spin around with a nervous wave, my face bright red. I'm also aware of how much worse I make it when I open my big mouth.

"Sorry, I have to uh go do a...thing? With a person at a place? Um, I mean, bye?" Which is of course followed by an awkward mix of running and waddling before I can turn a corner and flee to Endless before Conelly gets the opportunity to catch up with me.

"I'm so stupid!" I whine to no one but myself as I pass by no one. No one? I look around to find absolutely no one around me. Wait, where is everyone? I know Todd and Esther are in school, probably in a class by now actually, but what about the people of Endless Island? They're never far, they love me and they love to greet me when I arrive, as they've done since I created or found Endless. I'm still not sure which one it was, but I do know that this is my island and its people adore me. I mean, I didn't really want to talk to any of them right now, but still!

"Guys?" I call out as I walk around. "Where is everyone?" I feel worry bubble up in my chest, what could have happened while I was away to make everyone disappear? A wave of relief washes over me when I hear noise coming from nearby. I slip through the trees and find everyone gathered around something, so I move closer. I don't even get to see what they're looking at before the pain sets in and I'm laying on my back. What happened? Black spots start to fill my vision and my body feels numb. I don't want to die here. I have to get out of here! I lift my key again and escape into reality. Please be safe until I return, Endless.

CONELLY'S POV:

I stand up from where I had been leaning against Regina's locker, hoping that she might have forgotten something that would force ger to return. I wonder what I did to make her hate me. With a small sigh, I turn the corner to find the young redhead curled up on the floor of the hallway. How long had she been lying there? I sit down next to her still form and brush some of her hair out of her face. Feeling something wet, I pull my hand away to find my fingers covered in red. Please let this be some stupid prank. There's no way she could have gotten hurt without me hearing it. I was just around the corner from her! Pushing her hair farther out of the way, I find a gash on her forehead. I also find that her eyes are open. She was staring weakly up at me, her eyes starting to glaze over. I'll never be able to get the look of fear in her eyes out of my head.

"You're gonna be ok. I'm gonna take you to the hospital, " I told her in the most comforting voice I could muster despite starting to freak out on the inside. I scoop her small body up and rush out of the school with her in my arms. What the hell happened to her? I couldn't shake the gruesome possibilities out of my head. I settle for the least gruesome as an answer even if it wasn't likely at all. She must have run into a locker and I was just too lost in thought to hear the clang of her head bouncing off of it. It did seem like a Regina thing to do. The only thing keeping it from being a possible truth is that I didn't hear anything.

"I don't want to go to the hospital, " she mutters so quietly that it's barely audible. She struggles to move her head up from it had been laying limp over my arm. To her, her head probably weighed a thousand pounds.

"I know hospitals can be scary, but you need it. The doctors and nurses there can help you feel better. Don't you want to feel better?"

"Hospitals are boring." She's been in the hospital before? I hope this isn't a regular thing for her. She's so precious and needs to be protected.

'Snap out of it, Conelly!' I mentally chastise myself, shaking my head to clear it of any thoughts other than getting Regina to the hospital.

"I know, but you need professional medical help. I promise I'll be right there beside you as much as I can. I'll entertain you during your entire stay." She smiles at that, gently nodding her head against my shoulder as she snuggles into it.

"Ok, " she mutters into my shoulder. I'll never be able to forget the feeling of her warm breath on my skin. As soon as I burst into the hospital, there's a nurse carefully taking Regina from my arms.

"Reggie! What happened?" She falls to her knees and holds Regina close to her as other nurses buzz around, quickly arranging whatever they needed to be arranged.

"Judy, why don't you go sit in the waiting room and take a break? We'll take care of Reggie. You know she's in good hands." A different nurse was by her side with a stretcher in tow. It took some coaxing, but soon Reggie was being placed on the stretcher and rolled away. Judy's eyes land on me as soon as Reggie is out of sight. It was hard to read her emotions, she must be feeling so many, but her eyes were definitely full of despair. I don't think I'll ever forget how hurt she looks.

"What happened to my baby?" Her voice was breaking. She was breaking.

"I'm not sure, " I reply, my own voice breaking as well. It felt like I was deep underwater, being dragged farther into the dark mass of nothing. I was drowning and lost. I also felt like I was flying, ascending into the stars. I felt weightless and free. I was vaguely aware of hands on my shoulders leading me to the waiting room chairs. I was also aware of Judy's crying as she sat next to me.

"I'm a bad mother. How could she get hurt like that? I'm supposed to keep her safe. What if Todd or Esther git hurt while I was watching them? Oh God! Todd and Esther!" I watched as she sprung up and ran to the phone on the desk. She punches in a number and shifts her weight from foot to foot as she listens to it ring. "Todd! Thank Heavens! Are you and Esther ok?" There was hardly a pause for an answer before she continued on. "Reggie was just brought to the hospital. She got hurt and I wasn't sure if you were with her when it happened." This time there was a pause before she replied. "Of course I know you would have brought her in if you were with her. I just wasn't sure if you had gotten hurt or ran off to get help. A young girl in a red sweater brought her in." Another pause, this time longer. "I don't know when anyone will be able to see her. It may be awhile. I think it would be better if you stayed home. Please check on Esther for me, I've already been on the phone for too long. Stay safe, Todd." Then she was next to me again.

"I'm Conelly, " I croak out after a minute. She simply nods in acknowledgment. She wasn't fully here, even I could tell. I wasn't fully here, either. Time and reality seem to fade in and out until another nurse steps in front of us.

"You may go see her now, Judy. Are you bringing her with you?" She gestures to me at that last part and Judy glances at me before giving a small nod.

"She brought my baby here and waited out here with me. She can come to see Reggie if she wants. There's no need making her wait here for nothing." So I follow a few steps behind her until we enter the room they told us Regina is in. Regina is supposed to be in here, so why is it empty? Where's the cute redhead I carried in my arms hours ago?

"They must have put her in a different room." The two nurses leave, but I stay. My body feels heavy and my knees are weak, so I stumble over to the bed and collapse onto the foot of it.

"How did you lose her? She was barely conscious when she got here! She couldn't even walk on her own! She was carried! Do you really think she just got up and left? What did you do to my baby?" The despair in her voice plants itself in my brain like a bad tattoo. Another permanent internal reminder of today.

"She didn't have any injuries to her legs. It's possible that she woke up and decided to wander around. She couldn't have gotten far. I'll have every available staff member looking for her. I'm so sorry, Judy." The door clicked closed and I felt a hand on my back. I didn't bother glancing up, I knew who it was. Judy sits down on the bed next to me and took a deep, shaky breath.

"Can you stay here in case she comes back? I'm going to help look around."

"Of course. I'll go get a nurse if she returns before you find her."

"No, if she returns, don't leave her side. Make sure she doesn't wander off again. I'll ask someone to check in here as often as they can." Accepting my nod as an answer, she leaves and closes the door behind her. Where are you, Regina? Don't you know people miss you? The weight of today weighs down on me and I can't stop my eyelids from fluttering shut. Just a quick nap won't hurt.

REGGIE'S POV:

The second I land in Endless to stop whatever had hurt me before, Todd and Esther are at my side.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?" Esther cries out, her eyes looking me up and down and her voice cutting through my brain. I wince and hold my head, leaning into the comforting hand she lays on my shoulder.

"Yeah. Your mom called me earlier sounding really worried. She said some girl in a red sweater brought you to the hospital, " Todd says, laying his hand on my other shoulder. A girl in a red sweater brought me to the hospital? I do remember talking to someone as they held me in their arms. I remember curling into their shoulder. The thought of Conelly holding me in her arms swirls through my mind, forcing everything else out. I could feel my face heat up. I want her to hold me again. A new thought shatters through the thought of Connelly.

"What happened to whatever hurt me?" I ask, quickly looking around to see if I saw the Butt Witch. My body protests the movement, it felt like my brain was being shaken through my skull like that fish in Finding Nemo.

"You got hurt here?" Esther asks, immediately joining in on my search.

"That was an accident! I didn't see you there!" We all turn towards Dr. Champion and Guy Pleasant.

"What he meant to say was 'I'm sorry for kicking you', " Guy Pleasant adds. What? Dr. Champion kicked me and landed me in the hospital? That's so bogus! I don't want to be stuck in the hospital from a stupid kick!

"You should get back to reality, Reggie. Your mom must be worried that you just vanished, " Todd says and I groan because I know he's right. "We'll talk later."

CONELLY'S POV:

The bed shifts as someone else's weight joins mine on it. With a small groan, I glance up to find wide eyes staring at me.

"Regina! Are you ok? Where did you run off to?" I ask, immediately jumping up and pulling her into a hug. I can feel her warmth against my body. I don't want to forget how it feels holding her like this.

"Conelly? What are you doing here?" She sounded embarrassed, probably by my touch but I didn't want to let her go. Still, it's what I think she wants, so I pull away and settle for watching her as she shifts into a more comfortable position.

"I was worried about you, so I stayed. Your mom is looking for you. I think half of the hospital staff joined her on the hunt for you. A missing girl is no joke." Her body stiffens and she avoids my gaze.

"I didn't mean to worry anyone. I just needed to check- I just needed some fresh air." I don't question her change of sentence. I'm just glad that she's back.

"Hey, Regina?" I ask, a sinister smile forming on my face that she fails to notice since she's still studying the sheets to avoid looking at me.

"Yeah?" Came her soft reply and I lunged to attack.

"Tickle fight!" She probably needed this. She probably needed something to help get her mind off of things. She laughs as my fingers find her weak spot, under her arms. The laughing must have been loud since a nurse peaks into the room. Soon Judy is running into the room and I release Regina from the tickle torture I was unleashing on her. She practically leaps into her mom's arms. She's going to be ok. I'll never forget the relieved look on Judy's face or the scent on Regina's skin. I'll never forget her laugh or her smile. I'll never forget today.


End file.
